Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring

aka The Herripedia

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Rigby's Encyclopaedia of the Herring

AND NOW THE BOOK!

Rigby’s Encyclopaedia of the Herring

Adventures with the King of Fishes

Out September 25th 2025, hardback, published by Hurst, 450pp + 32 colour, a snip at £25. Preorder online or from your local independent bookshop. Based on the blog entries here and plenty more besides, rewritten, corrected and developed, it’s the book you know you’ve always wanted!

ONLINE ENCYCLOPAEDIA

Accessible alphabetically and by theme – history, science, culture, fishing and food.

Suggestions and corrections always welcome.

PODCASTS

Drawing on the encyclopaedia and exploring beginnings, sovereignty and sardines, fasting and fisher lasses.

All Podcasts…

Recently Added

A-Z Entries

IDDIKETTS OR IDDIS

An historical journey through the extraordinary world of Norwegian sardine can labels, known and collected in Norway as iddiketts or iddis

JANSSON’S TEMPTATION

A description of this Swedish dish; consideration of when he was actually tempted and how this might impact on the authenticity of some recipes

JEWISH RECIPES

A selection of fine recipes reflecting the love of herring in the Jewish diaspora (not including ones treated individually in this encyclopaedia)

KIPPER

Oh! The kipper! One of the greatest inventions of the Railway Age! Its Northumbrian origins, preparation, variety and history explored

KLONDYKING

On the development of klondyking, its changed meaning over time and thoughts on associations between herring fisheries and gold

LIFE CYCLE

An account of the herring's life cycle, its eight identified stages and a brief history of the development of that classification

LOCKMAN, JOHN

He had his flaws, he may not have been the poet herrings so richly deserve, but he was The Herring Poet - let's celebrate him anyway!

LOCKMAN’S VAST IMPORTANCE

John Lockman's 1750 pamphlet: the herring's importance to the National Wealth, our Naval Strength and, of course, dealing with the Highlanders

LUGGER

A description of the boat which replaced the herring buss and increased the alternative income opportunities for fishermen

MARTYRED SAINT

The irreverently wonderful C15th northern French poem, The Life of Saint Herring, glorious martyr, introduced and translated into English

MIGRATION & MOVEMENT

An account of the herring's long misunderstood migratory travels, the pursuit of abundance and factors that enable or would inhibit this

MONKEY BUSINESS

Discovering The Marx Brothers in kipper barrels on a liner may not have been so improbable, but the dialogue makes up for any accidental plausibility
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